Selfish genes act in their own interests from "summary" of The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins,Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science Richard Dawkins,David Dawkins,RICHARD AUTOR DAWKINS
The idea that genes act in their own interests may seem counterintuitive at first. After all, genes are just molecules, not sentient beings capable of making decisions. However, when we consider the concept of natural selection, it becomes clear how genes can be thought of as acting in their own interests. Natural selection is the process by which certain traits become more or less common in a population based on their ability to help an organism survive and reproduce. Genes that code for traits that increase an organism's chances of survival and reproduction will be passed on to future generations, while genes that code for traits that decrease an organism's chances of survival and reproduction will be eliminated from the gene pool. From the perspective of a gene, its primary goal is to replicate itself and pass on its genetic information to the next generation. Genes that are successful in achieving this goal will become more prevalent in the po...
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